The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry

Estimated costs for fixing inoperable new security system at Los Alamos nuclear double

Article by: JERI CLAUSING , Associated Press

Updated: November 9, 2012

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The estimate for fixing a new but inoperable $213 million security system at the nation’s nuclear bomb lab has doubled, officials with Los Alamos National Laboratory confirmed Friday.

Lab director Charles McMillan sent employees a memo this week saying it will cost an additional $41 million and take six months to fix the system, which has been under construction for seven years and was supposed to be complete this summer.

That is double what officials estimated a few weeks ago, when problems with the security system were first reported.

McMillan called performance on the project “unacceptable” and said it has damaged the lab’s credibility.

The revised estimates follow a review of the project by officials at the lab and the National Nuclear Security Administration, the federal agency that oversees Los Alamos.

McMillan appointed a new team to oversee completion of the project, but said it remains in “suspended status” until officials figure out where to get money for the additional work.

The modern system was designed to protect what is known as Technical Area 55, the only place in the country where nuclear weapon triggers can be made. The area is one of the most sensitive at Los Alamos and includes a cement, bunker-like complex that houses two aging labs where most of the work with dangerous plutonium is done. Work to upgrade those facilities and make sure they are structurally able to withstand a major earthquake has also been plagued by problems. The complex sits atop major fault lines.

Earlier this year, a federal oversight panel issued a report saying officials significantly underestimated how much radiation could leak from the nation’s premier plutonium lab after a major earthquake and fire.

Also this year, Congress put on hold for five years plans to build a new Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Nuclear Facility, whose cost estimates have ballooned from $500 million to nearly $6 billion over the past decade.

McMillan said completion of the advanced security system is a top priority. But he emphasized that the lab’s plutonium operations remain secure.

1.This Month

EVENTS

August 5 – California– two hearings in San Luis Obispo to take public comments on issues that should be covered in
an environmental impact study on the license renewal project for Diablo Canyon Nuclear Station

HIROSHIMA and NAGASAKI ANNIVERSARIES

USA: Hiroshima Day Events Hiroshima Day events around the country. Check to see if there’s one in your area!

August 2, 2015 Sacramento, California August Peace EventPSR/Sacramento is again co-sponsoring the annual August Peace Event, which this year commemorates the 70th anniversary of the atom bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.August 5, 2015

Santa Monica, California Never Again – Hiroshima 70th Anniversary Vigil Please join PSR-Los Angeles on August 5th to remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki, help build awareness of the nuclear threat, and grow the movement for a safer, healthier, nuclear weapons free world.

August 6, 2015Kansas City, Missouri Hiroshima-Nagasaki: Seventy Years Beyond the Bombings In memory of the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Physicians for Social Responsibility-Kansas City and PeaceWorks KC are hosting an exhibit at Miller Nichols Library.

August 6, 2015 Livermore, California 70 Years of Nuclear Weapons – At What Cost? San Francisco Bay Area PSR will join with a broad coalition of organizations to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

August 6, 2015 Seattle, Washington From Hiroshima to Hope Gather at Green Lake in Seattle for the annual lantern floating ceremony honoring victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and all victims of war.

August 9 Harrisburg, PennsylvaniaHiroshima Day Memorial Co-sponsored by PSR Harrisburg/Hershey and featuring speaker Dr. John Reuwer on “Nuclear weapons then and now.”

PETITIONS

in Part 2 we have Jon Doe, a great Guest from Tokyo who graphically describes life in Japan. He begins with his experience and thoughts on the Great Japan earthquake that caused 3 nuclear reactors to have varying degrees of meltdowns and contamination of large areas in Japan. Contaminated Water, No Sex For Prime Minister Abe supporters campaign, Update report on Megumi Igarashi, (aka Rokudenashiko) who is a woman rights activist and erotic artist living in a country where women are treated lesser than men. Jon Doe also discusses the problems of the teenage sex trade in Japan.

We also discuss the situation in Okinawa and the clampdown on freedom of speech and the denial of the democratic process by the Tokyo government to quash dissent. We discuss media coverage of Fukushima.